Bride walked down the aisle by man who received her murdered father's heart

Bride walked down the aisle by man who received her murdered father's heart

Heart transplant patient walked donor's daughter down the aisle at her wedding in Philadelphia.

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India Today Web Desk

New Delhi

August 8, 2016

UPDATED: August 8, 2016 12:53 IST

Photo:Facebook/KDKA-TV/Jeni Lynne

HIGHLIGHTS

Jeni Stepien's father was shot and killed 10 years ago.

They donated his heart to a man named Arthur Thomas.

Thomas flew all the way from New Jersey to walk Jeni down the aisle.

It's every girl's dream to be walked down the aisle by their father, but for Jeni Stepien this dream turned into dust when her father was murdered 10 years ago.

In 2006, her father was shot and killed in a robbery. After his death, Jenni and her mother decided to donate his organs to someone who needed it desperately. Her father's heart was transplanted to a man named Arthur Thomas who had been waiting 16 years for a donor and was at the verge of meeting his maker.

Jeni wrote him a letter to ask if he would walk her down the aisle at the St Anselm Church in Swissvale. After Thomas got a go-ahead from his daughter, he packed his bags to meet his organ donor's daughter.

Photo:Facebook/Jeni Lynne

The family kept in touch through phone and letters for ten long years, but never met him personally. Thomas showed up for one of Jenni's most important stages in life. He flew all the way from New Jersey to meet the family.

And Jeni was walked down the aisle to the man of her dreams, and she knew that a part of her father was with her.

Local media KDKA-TV quoted Jeni, who was overtaken with emotions saying, 'It's just like having my dad here and better because we get to share this story with people and other people see that organ donors do matter'.

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